Community & Current Events

16 tips from Canadian celebrities

1. Get to know your food
"Get involved with growing your own food, even if it's on your apartment balcony. Get involved with the farmers' markets and find out where your food comes from." — Severn Cullis-Suzuki, environmental activist, on the need to reconnect with food.

Photography by Jessica Venturi

2. Invest in quality denim
"I love denim in an office setting as long as it's clean and neat—no raggedy hemlines or rips. I don't think there's anyone I work with, from the CEO on down, who doesn't wear jeans to work." — Kirstine Stewart, head of Twitter Canada, on dressing for the office.

Photography by Miguel Jacob

3. Get kids involved
"Young people can be a force for enormous good. When you empower children at a young age—let them get involved in a meaningful way—they will continue that transformation for the rest of their lives." — Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, on the importance of empowering young people.

Image courtesy of Free the Children

4. Get up and get moving
"Instead of buying another piece of exercise gear, a new set of shoes and a gym membership, go for a walk or do jumping jacks, which need no equipment. What you really need is impetus and discipline." — Chris Hadfield, retired astronaut, on how to keep fit.

Image courtesy of Canadian Space Agency

5. Appreciate every day
"As I get older, I'm like, tick-tock goes the clock. Don't tell me you wasted a day. My God, you can't waste a minute; you can't waste an hour. It's too precious." — Alan Doyle, lead singer of Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea, on cherishing every moment in life.

6. Learn through art
"As the arts slowly but surely get sucked out of our public school system, we need to find a way to re-infuse them into children's lives because they're the most effective way to learn. I know that my son is learning colours and languages and simple math through song." — Measha Brueggergosman, Canadian soprano, on the importance of arts education.

Photography by Evaan Kheraj

7. Fly your Canadian flag high
"We're a very humble nation, but we need to show our pride in Canada. We need to do a better job of embracing and celebrating the successes we have as Canadians." — Hayley Wickenheiser, Canadian women's hockey player, on how to embrace being a Canadian.

Photography by Warren Toda/Corbis

8. Think about saving energy
"We've constructed our whole house so that we don't have air-conditioning. You have to think about it. You've got to put out and draw in the awnings. The awnings make a huge difference. Skylights that open at the top of the house make a huge difference. People used to do all of those kinds of things, as a matter of course. And then air-conditioning was invented, and they just forgot about it." — Margaret Atwood, author, on building a more energy-efficient house.FlickrCC/Blaues Sofa

9. Find your strength
"I can be a badass and feminine at the same time. Strength and femininity aren't exclusive. In sports, you have to have a certain emotional strength to be there. That's something we all struggle with at times." — Rosalind Groenewoud, Canadian freeskier, on wearing her trademark CoverGirl red lipstick while hitting the halfpipe in the Sochi Olympics.

Photography by Venturi + Karpa

10. Be a teacher
"If you have a talent or skill—baking, sewing, running, singing—share it with girls in your life: your daughter, niece or neighbour. There is always someone you can help. That is how hope grows." — Nelly Furtado, singer, on the gifts of hope.

Photography by Scott Ramsay, courtesy of Free the Children

11. Stand up for yourself
"You should make it your business to know your own body, how it works, and then, how to heal yourself. Empower yourself with information. We're living in an information age, so there are actually no excuses." — Lisa Ray, actress, on the healthcare system and becoming your own advocate.

Photography by Laura Denton

12. Know your worth
"We all have good ideas—every one of us. That's one thing I know for certain. Some ideas will be turned into great realities, while others will die on the cutting-room floor. The trick is to be brave enough to say them out loud. To be unafraid of input. To be willing to let your idea grow from good to great. But to do that, you first have to accept that you are capable of greatness." — Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications, on what it takes to make a great idea.

Photography by Christopher Wahl

13. Spend with purpose
"People are often motivated by emotion. If you're sad or angry and you 'need' to go shopping, then find a way to steer your shopping toward something productive." — Gail Vaz-Oslade, money guru, on how to spend money consciously.

Photography by David Wile

14. Be flexible
"I think part of being a good entrepreneur is being prepared to make some mistakes, and then adjusting your strategy as you go—because not everything works." — Joe Mimran, founder of Joe Fresh, on what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

Image courtesy of CBC

15. Change your life with a pet
"Having a pet—a companion—changes who you are and how you live. It certainly did for me, anyway. Looking into those compassion-soaked eyes, I realized just what unconditional love is." — Jann Arden, musician, on how adopting her dog Midi made her life feel more complete.

FlickrCC/cdnmusicdiva

16. Feel connected through music
"Music can make you feel like you are truly understood. That's the most intense and beautiful feeling in the world, because the root of all sadness and anger is people thinking that nobody understands, nobody relates to them and that they're alone." — Serena Ryder, musician, on music's ability to heal.